Dear Future
by littlemalfoy
Summary: Ginny's 7th year is anything but normal. She's got feelings for Draco - who also happens to be her DADA teacher! Harry's in love with Ron, who wants "Professor" Hermione to be his. The biggest surprise yet - Hermione's got the hots for Snape. D/G HR/S
1. Chapter 1

_Dear Ginny,_

_I apologize beforehand for what I am about to say. I know I said we could be together after the war; when I said it, I meant it. But the war has made me realize something about myself. I'm gay, Gin, and I think I'm in love with your brother. Please don't tell him- he's straight, and I'm sure he has a thing for Hermione. He might even tell her this year. The point is that I can't lie and pretend I'm straight for you; it would only end up hurting you more in the end. I can't help who I am. I love you, but not how I thought I did. You're amazing, and if you were a boy I'd snatch you up, I swear I would. Please say that we can still be friends._

_Love,_

_Harry_

Her first instinct had been to burn it, to destroy it along with all feelings for the boy who lived. To stare at him indifferently the next day over her mother's pancakes, her eyes coldly informing him that _No, _they couldn't be friends and _No,_ she didn't forgive him.

But in her heart, she knew that it wasn't his fault. He couldn't help who he loved. And she believed him when he said that he didn't purposely deceive her. Too bad that knowledge didn't stop it from hurting. At least he'd already graduated and she wouldn't have to deal with seeing him at school.

"Ginny, are you listening?" Her friend's voice broke her thoughts and Ginny blinked, confused for a moment before she realized where she was.

"Of course I am," she lied smoothly, staring at the scenery rushing by through the train's windows.

"Then what was I talking about?" Linda asked suspiciously.

Ginny paused.

"Max?" she guessed.

Linda grinned.

"I _knew_ you were listening to me. Anyway, so Max and I-"

Ginny sunk deeper into her chair, stifling the urge to sigh. Max was Linda's new boyfriend – and first boyfriend. They'd been dancing around each other for years and now that they finally got together, he was all Linda could talk about. Normally she wouldn't mind, but having to listen to Linda's happy romance stories while all she wanted to do was wallow in self-pity over Harry was just a _tad _annoying. The fact that Linda didn't notice she was upset made it all the worse. Ginny allowed her mind to wander, making sure to half-listen so that if Linda asked something, she'd be able to respond. The mention of someone other than Max pulled Ginny out of her daze.

"Malfoy will probably be worse than Snape! Not that Snape's too bad. He's got a nice bum, anyway."

Ginny nearly gagged.

"That's disgusting!"

Linda shrugged.

"I'm not the only one who thinks so. _Hermione_ of all people had a major crush on him last year. I'm not even sure if she got over it. Probably not. She was lustin' pretty hard."

"Hermione? Why didn't she tell me?"

Linda rolled her eyes.

"Because Ron's in love with her, and you're his _sister_."

"So? I never thought that Ron was right for her; they'd just make each other miserable." Ginny pouted and looked out of the window. "She should have told me."

"Well, you'll get a chance to bitch at her about it after Astronomy class tomorrow." Linda reminded her.

"You can't do that to a Professor. It doesn't matter if she's your best friend." She frowned slightly. "Do you think that's why she took the job? Snape?"

Linda shrugged.

"Maybe." She shifted in her seat. "You still haven't told me what you think about Malfoy."

Ginny rolled her eyes.

"I think _nothing _about Malfoy. He'll make DADA hell- but still, we've had bad teachers nearly every year in that subject."

"Mmmmm…plus, he's cute."

Ginny pulled a face.

"Too scrawny for me. Not to mention his disgusting personality."

"He's filled out a bit since then – I saw him buying teaching robes at The Alley. Plus, I heard he's less of a git since the war."

"Probably just stupid gossip. What reason would he have to change?"

"Well, his father's pretty different. Narcissa almost divorced him because he ignored her so much while Voldie was alive – that shook him up. He's spending all his time making up for it – romantic dinners, beautiful clothes- and we all know Malfoy lives to be a copy of his father, so when his dear daddy changed, he followed."

"And if his father changed back?" Ginny wanted it to be true, but it was all too bizarre to believe.

Linda shrugged.

"I don't think he will. His father looked happier since then. I guess he did the whole Voldemort business was to feel powerful, but it was making his family miserable. Now I think he gets it."

Ginny shook her head.

"You trust people too easily, Linda. One day you'll get burned."

_Like I was, _Ginny added silently, turning back to the window.

* * *

Hermione Granger was nervous. For the first time in her life, she was seriously concerned about her appearance. Did her robes make her look dowdy? Did she have something stuck in her teeth?

"Relax, Granger."

Hermione nearly jumped out of her skin.

"P-Professor Snape. How did you know I was nervous?"

Snape rolled his eyes.

"You're shaking."

Hermione glanced down at herself to realize that he was right. She took a deep breath and was pleased to find that her trembling had stopped.

"Just anxious about teaching," she explained with a shaky smile. _And about you_, she thought, blushing. They had been friendly since her final year, when they worked together fighting the war, but they had never gone further. Hermione sighed and stared down at her plate. _Maybe this year, that will change, _she thought hopefully.

"There are more Slytherins this year," he noted.

"Well, after you guys proved you weren't complete gits, more people _wanted_ to be in Slytherin." She smirked as she spooned some more eggs into her mouth.

He snorted.

"Less lions, I see. I guess your house's bravery was questioned after so many went M.I.A in the final battle."

Hermione mock-glared at him.

"The only ones to flee were Ron and Percy. Look at what happened to Neville! He was so brave." Her eyes glowed with pride at her friend's newfound courage.

"Longbottom did do very well – perhaps it was because I wasn't there to frighten him." A slow, wicked smirk snaked its way across his face.

She playfully smacked him on the chest.

"That's horrible! I knew you did that on purpose."

"Of course I did. You also did remarkably well, Granger." He added.

She blushed.

"So did you."

He glanced at her briefly, his eyes uncharacteristically soft, before turning to stare at his plate.

The following silence wasn't so much awkward as it was pregnant.

* * *

Ginny reached for another muffin, her eyes glued to the staff table. Draco sat looking around the room at his new students, even paler than usual with worry.

"You're right. He did get pretty toned over the summer." She whispered.

"Of course he did. I'm _always _right." Linda grinned triumphantly before turning back to giggling over some private joke with Maxwell.

Ginny turned back to the staff table, surprised to find Draco looking at her. She stared blankly for a second, then quickly turned away when his lips twisted into a smirk. Her heart was almost pounding through her chest. She shoved another spoonful of pudding into her mouth and shook her head, confused. What was that about?


	2. Chapter 2

_Dear Harry,_

_Good luck with Ron. You don't have to worry about him and Hermione – she's got her sights set on someone else. Maybe Ron's a bi – who knows? If you need any information about him, I'll be glad to help. I'll always be your friend. On another note, did you hear about Malfoy? He's teaching DADA this year. Rumor has it that he's become less of a git. I hope it's true. If it is, I might try and end the Malfoy-Wealsey feud for good. Sound impossible? Give me your thoughts._

_Friends Forever,_

_Ginny_

_P.S: Ron? What bad taste. If you're gonna dump me, do it for an attractive Weasley , like Fred or George. _

Ginny reread the letter before tying it to Pig's leg. It had taken her nearly an hour that morning to gather up the will to write the response. The first letter she wrote had been so tear-stained that she had to throw it away. Ten minutes and a few tissues later, she had managed to compose herself enough to write a friendly, helpful answer that no doubt would reassure Harry that their relationship was not permanently damaged. Ginny was heartbroken, but she knew she would soon recover, and when she did she wanted Harry to still be her friend. Her love for Harry also drove her to want to make him happy, and if that meant fixing him up with her brother…so be it. She sighed as she watched Pig make his way across the skies.

_Am I destined to be alone?_ She thought, _If not, please God, give me a sign. I'm losing hope._

"Weasley," a familiar voice called behind her.

Ginny spun around, startled, to find Draco Malfoy smirking at her with his arms crossed against his chest.

"Mal – _Professor_ Malfoy. What is it?"

"I was just wondering what it felt like to know that _I_ , Draco Malfoy, have complete control over your grades." He grinned evilly, leaning back against a wall.

Ginny rolled her eyes.

"For some reason, I trust you won't mess with the grades. House points, however, are another matter."

He raised his eyebrows.

"Trust _me_? That's new."

"Yea, well, everyone deserves a second chance. And people say you've grown up a little. Let's hope it's not just baseless gossip."

"Oh, I'm positive that it is. I'm exactly the same. Anyway, Dumbledore said that you were pretty good in DADA – and after that bat boogey you cast on me, I believe him." He brushed a few strands of his hair away from his face – it had grown over the summer, and now touched his shoulders.

"So are you going to use your position to take revenge?" Ginny felt anger bubbling inside of her. Draco doing something like that would completely vanquish any hope that he might have changed.

"I'd lose my job if I did." He reminded her.

"It's not like you need the money."

"I like teaching."

"So why are you bothering me?" she asked.

"Dumbledore told me to pick some students to train personally – you know, to teach the slightly darker spells to. Before you get flattered, I chose based on 6th year DADA grades, and yours were among the highest. It's not that I like you or anything."

"I'll do it. Is it one-on-one, or in a group?" she smirked at the sight of his pout. He wanted a reaction from her, and she had completely ignored his jibe.

"One-on-one. Do you have a problem with that?" he asked defensively.

"Nope, none at all. I'll be looking forward to trying those spells out on you."

He actually smiled.

"Nice try, Weaslette. You'll be practicing on LifeDummies."

"Could you not call me Weaslette? If you're going to deviate from Ginny, say Gin or Red."

"So you're giving me permission to use your nickname?" he smirked, arching an eyebrow.

"Don't flatter yourself. I let everyone do it. It's not that I like you or anything." She mimicked his earlier words, grinning.

"Ouch. Anyway, I've got to go teach first years now. Personal classes start at seven every day excluding Friday and weekends. Got that, Red?"

"Got it. One more thing before you go, Malfoy."

"What?"

"The rumors were true. You have changed. For the better, I think. "

With that said, she left.

* * *

"So he actually _chose _you himself?" Linda asked in disbelief.

"Yep. No one forced him." Ginny said proudly.

"Wow. That's pretty awesome. Plus, DADA class today wasn't a total disaster. It was nice, actually – but I feel sorry for Randy."

"Randy got what was coming to him. He cursed at a teacher, and Malfoy made him an example. I'm just surprised a Ravenclaw could be that stupid. Anyway, I'm sure no one is going to question Malfoy's authority now."

"Oh, it's six-thirty. Don't you have to get ready?" Linda asked.

Ginny glanced at the clock.

"Yea, I do. See you later, Lind. Wish me luck!"

"Break a leg – Malfoy's leg, if he pisses you off."

* * *

Hermione sat in the middle of the library, surrounded by piles of books, her nose buried in _Deadly Potions: How to Make and Detect Them_. She was so engrossed that she didn't notice how uncomfortable it was to be sitting in the straight-backed hickory chair, and she hadn't realized how much time had passed – she had been reading for at least two hours.

"Is it interesting?" a voice asked behind her.

She must have jumped 10 feet into the air.

"Professor," her hand was pressed to her chest as she struggled to catch her breath. "Must you always be so sneaky?"

"I'm a retired spy. What's your excuse for being so unaware of your surroundings?"

"Avid reader." She pointed at the book as if it were at fault, smiling when he chuckled.

"Books, huh? Nothing better." He picked out a particularly dusty volume from the shelf and flipped through it. "The old ones smell fantastic, and they always feel so…so…"

"Dependable?" she finished for him.

"Yes," he agreed, "and knowledgeable. Like a valuable friend."

"Exactly," she sighed. It was a relief to finally find someone who shared her passion for the written word. She glanced up at him, noting how the moonlight made his sharp features stand out even more than usual.

Again, she sighed, this time not in relief but in frustration. She'd give anything get some of his passion directed at her.


End file.
